Thursday, September 29, 2005

Here we are - the coolest girls in Building 8063! We had our weekly "ritual" last night and took a picture of all 4 of us along with more of the pregnant bellies! We had some good food too - spinach artichoke dip, Aromatic Mushroom Galette (i can't believe that's really the name of it!), fettucine with shrimp and bacon, and Banana Creme Supreme (the next recipe I want to conquer!). Our husbands are actually coming home over the next few days so our ritual probably won't resume again until the deployment.

Below is a forward I received from my friend Candice. I thought it would be appropriate for this post.

Here's to Girlfriends!I'm only as strong as the cocktails I drink, the hairspray I use, and the girlfriends I have. Here's to you! Why do we only have parties for each other when one of us gets married, pregnant, has a birthday, or retires? What would most of us do without our sisters, confidants, and shopping, lunching and traveling girlfriends? Let's celebrate each other for each other's sake!Someone will always be prettier. Someone will always be smarter. Someone's house will be bigger. Someone will drive a better car. Someone's children will do better in school. And Someone's husband will fix more things around the house. So let it go, and love you and your circumstances. Think about it. The prettiest woman in the world can have hell in her heart. And the most highly favored Woman on your job may be unable to have children. And the richest woman you know, she's got the car, the house, the clothes....might be lonely. And the word says if "I have not Love, I am nothing." So, again, love you. Love who you are. Look in the mirror in the morning and smile and say"I am too blessed to be stressed and too anointed to be disappointed!" "Winners make things happen. Losers let things happen."Be Blessed ladies and encourage another woman."To the world you might be one person, but to one person you just might be the world".

Wednesday, September 28, 2005

Marian was kind enough to send me some pictures of Mama and Daddy, so I thought I'd throw one on here. This is them this past weekend. It definitely looks like Daddy is being silly, but I think it's a cute picture!

Things that make you think a little:

There were 39 combat related killings in Iraq in January. In the fair city of Detroit there were 35 murders in the month of January. That's just one American city, about as deadly as the entire war-torn country of Iraq.When some claim that President Bush shouldn't have started this war, state the following:

a. FDR led us into World War II.

b. Germany never attacked us; Japan did. From 1941-1945, 450,000 lives were lost ...an average of 112,500 per year.

c. Truman finished that war and started one in Korea. North Korea never attacked us. From 1950-1953, 55,000 lives were lost ...an average of 18,334 per year.

d. John F. Kennedy started the Vietnam conflict in 1962. Vietnam never attacked us.

e. Johnson turned Vietnam into a quagmire. From 1965-1975, 58,000 lives were lost ...an average of 5,800 per year.

f. Clinton went to war in Bosnia without UN or French consent. Bosnia never attacked us.He was offered Osama bin Laden's head on a platter three times by Sudan and did nothing. Osama has attacked us on multiple occasions.

g. In the years since terrorists attacked us , President Bush has liberated two countries, crushed the Taliban, crippled al-Qaida, put nuclear inspectors in Libya, Iran, and NorthKorea without firing a shot, and captured a terrorist who slaughtered 300,000 of his own people.

The Democrats are complaining about how long the war is taking. But...It took less time to take Iraq than it took Janet Reno to take the Branch Davidian compound. That was a 51-day operation.

We've been looking for evidence for chemical weapons in Iraq for less time than it took Hillary Clinton to find the Rose Law Firm billing records.

It took less time for the 3rd Infantry Division and the Marines to destroy the Medina Republican Guard than it took Ted Kennedy to call the police after his Oldsmobile sank at Chappaquiddick River.

It took less time to take Iraq than it took to count the votes in Florida!!!Our Commander-In-Chief is doing a GREAT JOB!

The Military morale is high!

The biased media hopes we are too ignorant to realize the facts. But wait...there's more!

JOHN GLENN (ON THE SENATE FLOOR) Mon, 26 Jan 2004 11:13Some people still don't understand why military personnel do what they do for a living. This exchange between Senators John Glenn and Senator Howard Metzenbaum is worth reading. Not only is it a pretty impressive impromptu speech, but it's also a good example of oneman's explanation of why men and women in the armed services do what they do for a living.This IS a typical, though sad, example of what some who have never served think of the military.

Senator Metzenbaum (speaking to Senator Glenn):"How can you run for Senate when you've never held a real job?"

Senator Glenn (D-Ohio):"I served 23 years in the United States Marine Corps. I served through two wars. I flew 149 missions. My plane was hit by anti-aircraft fire on 12 different occasions. I was in the space program. It wasn't my checkbook, Howard; it was my life on the line. It was not a nine-to-five job, where I took time off to take the daily cash receipts to the bank." "I ask you to go with me...as I went the other day...to a veteran's hospital and look those men...with their mangled bodies...in the eye, and tell THEM they didn't hold a job!You go with me to the Space Program at NASA and go, as I have gone, to the widows and Orphans of Ed White, Gus Grissom and Roger Chaffee...and you look those kids in the eye and tell them that their DADS didn't hold a job.You go with me on Memorial Day and you stand in Arlington National Cemetery, where I have more friends buried than I'd like to remember, and you watch those waving flags.You stand there, and you think about this nation, and you tell ME that those people didn't have a job?What about you?"For those who don't remember...During W.W.II, Howard Metzenbaum was an attorneyrepresenting the Communist Party in the USA. Now he's a Senator!

If you can read this, thank a teacher.If you are reading it in English thank a Veteran.

Tuesday, September 27, 2005

This past weekend was pretty eventful. After work on Friday I went to the 4-27 FA wives coffee group. It was a nice time and there were A LOT more ladies there than usual. I guess everyone was hoping to hear some information about the deployment. It's less than 2 months away now, and they still aren't really telling us anything!On SaturdayI ran all my errands, including spending a couple of hours at the commissary. They were having their case lot sale which means a lot of products were available in bulk at significant discounts. The only thing I got was some paper towels. Most of the stuff they had for sale would be pointless for a girl who's living by herself for a year. I don't think I'm going to need a case of canned asparagus anytime soon!I also bought our plane tickets on Saturday. We're getting to Atlanta on the 19th and leaving on the 1st.Saturday night I went to Portofino, the Italian restaurant in town. I had dinner there with my friends Stacie and Chris.On Sunday I participated in the Susan G Komen Breast Cancer Foundation Race for the Cure in Frankfurt. We had a team from Baumholder that did the 5K run. I usually only run about 2.5 miles so my goal was to complete the whole 3.1 miles. Most people wore their white Race for the Cure t-shirts but breast cancer survivors wore pink shirts. The 2nd half of the race I ended up behind a lady in a pink shirt. She was a good bit older than me but she was in front of me and never slowed down. She was my motivation. How could I, an athletic, HEALTHY, 24-year-old, wuss out when this lady had not only beat cancer but was also kicking my butt on the run?? It was a really great experience. I look forward to doing it next year and participating in more runs that are for good causes. There were some pictures taken on Saturday and I was hoping I would have them by yesterday but I didn't. Our team leader is going to send them to me and as soon as she does I will share them.It's less than a week now until Bryan gets back from the field!!!

Friday, September 23, 2005

First of all, WE SOLD THE CAR!!! We've been trying to get rid of the BMW before Bryan deploys, and I finally sold it today! We didn't get what we originally wanted to for it, but it's sold and that's the main thing that matters to me.

Georgia plays Mississippi St in Starkville on Saturday. The game is at 9pm and will be broadcast on ESPN 2. That is one late football game!

Wrestling in front of 40,000 screaming fans at the Georgia Dome, hosting my own TV show, sitting on the couch of The Tonight Show next to Jay Leno, playing the character Joey Battle in the remake of "The Longest Yard" with Bert Reynolds and Adam Sandler, listening to the national anthem in front of 70,000 people as a member of the Atlanta Falcons ... they pale in comparison to being between the hedges on a Saturday morning as a member of the "Red and Black."

Through the years I have been a very fortunate person to experience many wonderful things but I must say that being a Georgia Bulldog (being a part of that family) is a feeling unparalleled by anything else I have experienced. The pure love the Bulldog fans have for their beloved team is truly unmatched. Through thick and thin, through good times and bad, once a Dawg, always a Dawg.

Being a Georgia Bulldog doesn't mean being part of a team, it means being part of a family. In the South many kids are "bred" to be Bulldogs. I was not one of them. I grew up in Tulsa, Okla., in Sooner Country, far from Sanford Stadium. So what possessed a 17-year-old boy to leave the state of the No. 1 collegiate team to move to Athens? Just call it a gut feeling. Football in the South is somewhat of a religious experience. It is not just a game; it's a way of life.

I wanted to be a part of that.

Being out on the West Coast gives me a bit of a different perspective on college football. It's one that I don't completely understand. What is football in the South? Only one who has experienced it can say. I, for one, think it is the most wonderful experience in the world.

GO DAWGS!

Actor Bill Goldberg is a former Georgia football player and professional wrestler.~Sent to me by my dad and Mike and probably some more people~

Thursday, September 22, 2005

I was sitting at work yesterday thinking about how I didn't feel good, didn't want to go work out, and definitely didn't feel like eating a frozen dinner. About that time I decided to check my email (as I do about 50 times a day!) and there was an email from Laura. We've talked about doing a "baked potato night" sometime, and Laura and Vanessa decided it was going to be last night. So we went up to Vanessa's last night and everyone contributed toppings. The potatoes and banana bread were the perfect alternative to working out and a Lean Cuisine!

Here's some southern humor I got in an email:

Southern Born & Bred

If you are from the Northern states and planning on visiting or moving to the South, there are a few things you should know that will help you adapt to the difference in lifestyles:

The North has coffee houses, The South has Waffle Houses

The North has dating services, The South has family reunions.

The North has switchblade knives, The South has Lee Press-on Nails.

The North has double last names, The South has double first names.

The North has Indy car races, The South has stock car races.

The North has Cream of Wheat, The South has grits.

The North has green salads, The South has collard greens

The North has lobsters, The South has crawdads.

The North has the rust belt, The South has the Bible Belt.

In the South: --If you run your car into a ditch, don't panic. Four men in a four-wheel drive pickup truck with a tow chain will be along shortly. Don't try to help them, just stay out of their way. This is what they live for.

Don't be surprised to find movie rentals and bait in the same store....do not buy food at this store.

Save all manner of bacon grease. You will be instructed later on how to use it.

Don't be worried at not understanding what people are saying. They can't understand you either.

The first Southern statement to creep into a transplanted Northerner's vocabulary is the adjective "big'ol," truck or "big'ol" boy. Most Northerners begin their Southern-influenced dialect this way. All of them are in denial about it.

The proper pronunciation you learned in school is no longer proper.

Be advised that "He needed killin" is a valid defense here.

If you hear a Southerner exclaim, "Hey, y'all, watch this," you should stay out of the way. These are likely to be the last words he'll ever say.

If there is the prediction of the slightest chance of even the smallest accumulation of snow, your presence is required at the local grocery store. It doesn't matter whether you need anything or not. You just have to go there.

Do not be surprised to find that 10-year-olds own their own shotguns, they are proficient marksmen, and their mammas taught them how to aim.

In the South, we have found that the best way to grow a lush green lawn is to pour gravel on it and call it a driveway.

AND REMEMBER:

If you do settle in the South and bear children, don't think we will accept them as Southerners. After all, if the cat had kittens in the oven, we wouldn't call 'em biscuits.

Wednesday, September 21, 2005

Interesting Statistic...There has been an average of 160,000 troops in the Iraq Theater of operations during the last 22 months. The casualty figures that results from firearm deaths leads to a death rate of 60 per 100,000. The firearm death rate in Washington D.C. is 80.6 per 100,000. That means that you are 25%more likely to be shot and killed in our Nation's Capitol, which has some ofthe strictest gun control laws in the nation, than you are in Iraq...Conclusion: We should immediately pull out of Washington, D.C

Tuesday, September 20, 2005

The Army is notorious for not being able to make up it's mind. We're experiencing that right now. The day after the unit told the soldiers to start making their plans for leave, they took that back. As of right now, we don't know what is going to happen. I hope to find out more the next time I talk to Bryan. I sent him a care package today with some banana nut bread so hopefully that'll help him get through the last couple of weeks in the field. On Friday I made a salad for our FRG meeting. It's definitely an unusual salad, but it's a good one so try it out!

Directions1 In a medium bowl, whisk together the sesame seeds, poppy seeds, sugar, olive oil, vinegar, paprika, Worcestershire sauce and onion. Cover, and chill for one hour.2 In a large bowl, combine the spinach, strawberries and almonds. Pour dressing over salad, and toss. Refrigerate 10 to 15 minutes before serving.

Monday, September 19, 2005

The local Outdoor Recreation office had a trip to Oktoberfest in Munich this past weekend. My friend Kimberly and I went together. We left Baumholder at 3am Saturday morning and arrived in Munich shortly after 9am. The weather was cool and wet so it wasn't the greatest for spending 14 hours outside. We walked around town a bit and then watched the parade which marked the official start of Oktoberfest. After the parade we ventured on to the fest grounds and walked around for a while just checking things out. We got really cold after a while so we decided to have lunch and warm up at a food stand. Next we went to a little biergarten and enjoyed the company of 2 older French couples that couldn't speak a lick of english! The weather got a little better while we were in the biergarten so we walked around the fest area some more. We ate us some chocolate covered fruit and met the "last Oktoberfest" bachelor! We finally decided to try to get in a beer tent. After waiting in line for over 2 hours, the tent was closed for the rest of the night! However, we were determined to get into a tent so we tried another one and after waiting about half an hour we got in! It was insanely crowded but we managed to find a table to sit. There were a lot of German people our age around us so it was fun talking to them. They thought it was so cool that we were from America! After we finished our pretzel and liters of beer it was getting close to time to leave. We grabbed a few last minute souveniers and schnitzelburgers before meeting the bus. We left at 11pm and arrived back in Baumholder at 4am. It was a long trip but it was a lot of fun. It's so awesome to be able to say that I went to the REAL Oktoberfest!Here is the link to mine and Kimberly's pictures:http://www.cristin-fanning.fotopic.net/c695888.htmlHere is a short video that Kimberly took with her camera inside the beer tent:http://www.jusspress.com/day.php?userid=24396&currentDate=20050914&currentTime=210256

Friday, September 16, 2005

UGA vs. UL-Monroe1 p.m. Saturday, PPV-CSS, 750 AMSic 'em!This was sent to be by Mike. I LOVE it!Athens Memories $2.99 pitchers on the deck Thursday nights at Mexicali (First note here! They were only $2.75 when we were there!) * Waking up with a massive hangover to stumble into the gameWalking through North Campus on a perfect crisp fall morning * Ladies Night at Boar's Head on Monday night * Feta fries at The Grill at 2 am * Camping out for road game tickets * Sitting on Kudzu Hill with a full cooler and unobstructed view * Thomas Davis * The crowded cabstand downtown at closing time * Pizza and sandwiches at Snelling * Borrowing someone's ID to get in * Your 21st downtown * Verron Haynes and the Hobnail boot * Blind Pig trivia night on Wednesday * Going to your 8:00 on Friday in the same clothes you had on Thursday night* Chili dawgs, onion rings, a fried peach pie, and a PC from the Varsity * "Working out" at Ramsey * A Looney Bird and a Bud at Loco's * How beautiful The Arch looks when it snows * Going from keg party to keg party at Polo Club * Intramural flag football * Dancing at Georgia Theatre when they were open and serving until 4 am * Ringing the Victory Bell...on a Wednesday night * Counting down the days until football season * Heading to Jacksonville on Thursday before there was ever such a thing as Fall Break * Waterford Place * 25-cent happy hour at Uptown * The Davids * Karaoke at Fire House on Monday night * Skipping Friday afternoon class to drink beer on your porch * Having a keg party on a Tuesday * Power Hour at AMF * Replaying Munson calls in your head as you rode by Sanford on the way to class * The Black Crowes at Homecoming * The hidden racks at Barnett's and their "selection" * Waking up to the sound of "Hunker Down Hairy Dawg" blaring form the parking lot at 7:30 on a game day...and being upset * Bid Day on Milledge * The Widespread show on Washington Street in '98 * The mandatory "Reading Day" keg party * Llama-Rama * Fried Chicken, okra, and cornbread at Weaver D's * College Park * Krystals at 3:30 in the morning * The night the goalposts fell * Figuring out just where does the Family Housing bus go? * Wanting to get into Brumby for a panty raid * Sitting on the porch at Son's and Steverino's * Jeff Keppinger's dramatics * Paying parking tickets because your pass said "Commuter" * Fried Dill Pickles at Blind Pig * Spring Lake * Jarvis Hayes * Doing the crossword puzzle in class * Living on ramen noodles for a week * Guthrie's * "Spring" Break and how cold it always was * How spending more than $20 on a night downtown was considered absurd * Champ Bailey * Walking through North Campus just before spring semester is over and thinking how heaven could possibly be anymore beautiful * Armadillo's * Peeing on the Academic building because it just seemed okay * Brighton Park * The rise of Michael Johnson * The smell of charcoal and Beam on a warm September Saturday * Taking dates to East/West or DePalma's * Getting in the wrong cab going to Milledge and getting home an hour later * The creepy-voiced bus driver at Park Hall * "It's Saturday afternoon in Athens!" * Having an abundance of attractive co-eds... and taking it for granted * Going to "The Shoals" * Your strange roommate in the dorm * Playing asshole with your friends * The tears you had to choke back at the '99 Tech game and... ..the bedlam and sheer ecstasy that was the 2001 Tech game * When waking up at nine o'clock was considered early * When they announced there was no school the next day due to snow and ice * Player's Club * Days at the pool * Terrence Edwards * The Landing on Friday night * The destruction in Morris Hall * Waffle House at 5 am * Going out on a really bad date, but still spending the night * A La Bamba burrito at closing time * Being too hungover from Saturday night to make it to Monday morning class * Choosing a major...and then choosing another one * The robbery that was FTX * Seeing alumni start to show up on campus on Wednesday for a Saturday game * The dawn of the Mark Richt era * Seeing Dark Side of Oz on the big screen at Georgia Theatre * Buying beer for the whole dorm at Majik Mart * Lane Creek golf course * Having a monthly rent payment of less than $300 * The guys outside of Red & Black package store * Ice cream at Hodgson's * Guys in red pants * Grown men barking * Wondering if anything really could live in the Oconee River * $1 night at Topper's on Tuesday * Kinchafoonee Cowboys * Sky's Place * The caramel tasting beer at Georgia Theatre from years of corrosion * 3 cheeseburgers, fries, and a beer at Allen's * Walking down the railroad tracks * Grilling out on a beautiful spring night * Buying Student Notes the day before a test * Drinking on a Tuesday to help get rid of Monday's hangover * Finals Week * Band parties that lasted until 4 am * Billy Bennett * The Hot Dog Guy on Baldwin before UGA and Michael Adams ran him off * Harrick-Gate and Tony Cole * Seeing Michael Stipe walk in front of your car downtown * Playing golf at UGA on a Friday before game day * Wild nights at Wild Wing * Being tempted by Blind Pig every time on the walk back from class * Watching Moday Night Raw...and then quoting it the rest of the week * The sock on the doorknob * OutKast at Day of Soul * 51-7 * Drinking with the R.A. * Seeing David Allan Coe at Georgia Theatre * Only showing up on test days to class * Selling back books for beer money * Girls dancing on the bar and in the cages at Uptown * Looking for beer specials in the Red and Black * Graduation Day * Wishing that time could stand still and knowing that the real world could wait.

Thursday, September 15, 2005

Laura, Vanessa, and Pam came over last night for the season finale of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. I was a bad hostess last time and Laura brought over cookies and milk. Last night, however, I was determined to redeem myself! I had an Oreo Cheesecake waiting on the girls when they arrived.

The show was really sad last night and we probably often got a little teary-eyed ~ except for Vanessa's occasional chuckle! After the show was over, we got to talking about Vanessa's and Laura's bellies and how they compared in side. They decided to get up and stand next to one another to find out. It was so funny, and I wasn't about to let them get away with that without a picture being taken. So the picture at the top is Laura and Vanessa trying to figure out whose belly is bigger!I talked to Bryan briefly yesterday. So far he's staying very busy, and that is a good thing for him. He's gotten where he won't eat hardly anything in the field (which bothers me), but he does seem to be getting decent sleep which is hard to come by out there. He's only been gone 5 days this time, but we're currently at 98 days for the year. As one can imagine, he's getting pretty tired of field problems but I told him not to worry because he's about to spend a year in the sand! He won't have to go back to Graf of Hohenfels for a LONG time!

For those of you who would like another choice for President, I have I'm sure...........the best solution:It is probably time we have a woman as President. My choice, and I hope is yours as well I have a very special Lady that has all the answers to our problems.PLEASE give it a thought when you have a moment............MAXINE FOR PRESIDENT.

1. Maxine on "Driver Safety" - "I can't use the cell phone in the car. I have to keep my hands free for making gestures.".......2. Maxine on "Life" - "Life is like an oven. It burns my a**!"3. Maxine on "Housework" - "I do my housework in the nude. It gives me an incentive to clean the mirrors as quickly as possible."4.Maxine on "Lawn Care" - "The key to a nice-looking lawn is a good mower. I recommend one who is muscular and shirtless."5. Maxine on "The Perfect Man" - 'All I'm looking for is a guy who'll do what I want, when I want, for as long as I want, and then go away. Or wait nearby, like a Dust Buster, charged up and ready when needed."6. Maxine on "Work" - "My performance at work has really improved over the years. Now I can nail a co-worker with a paper-clip shot from a rubber band at 20 yards."7. Maxine on "Technology Revolution" - "My idea of rebooting is kicking somebody in the ass twice."8. Maxine on "Aging" -"Take every birthday with a grain of salt. This works much better if the salt accompanies a large Margarita."

Never read the fine print. There ain't no way you're going to like it.If you let a smile be your umbrella, then most likely your butt will get soaking wet.The only two things we do with greater frequency in middle age are urinate and attend funerals.The trouble with bucket seats is that not everybody has the same size bucket.To err is human, to forgive - highly unlikely.Do you realize that in about 40 years, we'll have thousands of old ladies running around with tattoos?Money can't buy happiness -- but somehow it's more comfortable to cry in a Porsche than in a Kia.Drinking makes some husbands see double and feel single.Living in a nudist colony takes all the fun out of Halloween.After a certain age, if you don't wake up aching in every joint, you are probably dead.As usual, if you don't forward this to 10 of your friends within the next 5 minutes, your belly button will fall off. Really... it's true! Have I ever lied to you

"So don't forget.........come November 2008 - - - VOTE FOR MAXINE FOR PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES. No one better for the job."

Monday, September 12, 2005

Overall our weekend was pretty uneventful. We cooked out with some neighbors on Friday night. It was a lot of fun and we hung out until around midnight. On Saturday we just relaxed and tried to enjoy our last day together before Bryan went back to the field. Right before he goes to the field it always feels like this dark cloud is hanging over us. We can’t really think of or talk about anything but the field. I wonder if other people go through that too. We did have dinner at Portofino, the little Italian restaurant in town. When the weather is nice and you can get a good table it has the most awesome setting, and that's how it was for us Saturday night.We got up early on Sunday morning for Bryan to leave. We went to the battery around 7:45. I went over to Burger King to get us some breakfast but on Sunday they only serve breakfast from 9:00 to 10:30. That seems pretty ridiculous to only serve it for an hour and a half. I ended up running over to the shoppette and getting Bryan a random mix of breakfast foods. All the while I was worried that the soldiers would load up to leave before I got back. I made it back and Bryan and I sat together before they loaded the busses at 8:30. When I got back home Misha and I sat in the recliner and watched the GA-SC game that we recorded. It wasn’t a very pretty game but a win is a win and I’ll take that.I spent some time with my friend Natalia and her little girl, Makaya, yesterday afternoon. Last night my neighbor, Laura, invited me to have supper so I was very glad to be able to join her. Today I’m obviously back at work again! It’s been just me in the office lately so I’ve actually been doing a little bit of work!

Friday, September 09, 2005

After Steve Spurrier dies & enters the Pearly Gates, God takes him on a tour. He shows Steve a little two-bedroom house with a fadedGamecocks banner hanging from the front porch. "This is your house, Coach. Most people don't get their own houses up here." Steve looks at the house & then, turns around & looks at the one sitting on top of the hill. It's a huge two-story mansion with white marble columns & little patios under all the windows. UGA flags lineboth sides of the sidewalk & a huge Bulldog banner hangs between the marble columns. "Thanks for the house, God, but let me ask you a question......I get this little two-bedroom house with a faded banner & Dooley gets a mansion with Dawg banners & flags flying all over the place. Why is that?" God looks at him seriously for a moment & says, "That's not Dooley's house.......that's mine."

Thursday, September 08, 2005

The pictures from Bastogne are now on our fotopic site. Just click on the link on the right that says "Our Pictures".

This is from an email I received. Please help this bill to pass!

"As many of you know, we have been in contact with our senators and congressmen to get a change on the cost for sending care packages and letters to our troops. Finally, there is a bill to be voted on to send care packages for free to those in harm's way."Below is a Web site to click on and support this bill. This is a way you can show our troops that we really do care about them. Supporting our troops is not an option, but a responsibility. Let's all come together and do this. Send this e-mail to everyone you know."If this bill passes, you will be able to send your military things for free. Take the time to read and complete this request to your congressional representative. It is truly a worthwhile cause. It's painless and will benefit not only those sending mail, but also our service members."Currently, postage is paid from one's post office to either New Jersey or California, whichever is closer. Depending on weight, it often costs up to $24 for family members and friends to mail these morale-boosting packages to their loved ones serving in harm's way."If you want to help, just click on the site below and send a note of support to your congressional representative:http://capwiz.com/naus/issues/alert/?alertid=7207041&type=co

Wednesday, September 07, 2005

Bryan got home around 5:30 Friday afternoon. You would have thought that they were coming back from Iraq because such a big deal was made of their return. There were signs outside Alpha battery, food was ready for the soldiers, and the families were waiting anxiously as the busses pulled up. Bryan was very happy to be back but ready to go home as soon as he stepped off the bus. He relaxed at home for a few hours and then we went into town. We had dinner and then went to shoot pool for a little while with some friends.On Saturday we went to the wine fest in Bernkastel-Kues. We sampled wine from the different vendors and ate a lot of good fest food. At the end of the night there was a really good fireworks show over the river.On Sunday we went to church and then to have breakfast at a little place on post. Not long after we got home Bryan got a call that he had to come into work because some soldiers got in trouble the night before. When he finally got back from the office a few hours later, we ran some errands. Later we went to a promotion party for some of his friends who recently made Captain. On Monday we drove over to Bastogne, Belgium for the day. Since watching Band of Brothers I've kind of gotten into World War II. Bryan enjoys military history anyway so we were looking forward to the trip. Bastogne is where the Battle of the Bulge took place. At that point it was the largest battle in US Army history. The Belgian people believe the Amerians saved their town so it was neat to be in a town in another country that is so thankful for the US. We visited the square in the middle of town that is named after a US General, a military museum, a monument to General Patton, the Mardasson monument and Bastogne Historical Center, and the woods where the battle was fought. As soon as I get our pictures downloaded, I'm going to add them to our fotopic site.Tuesday Bryan had an extra day off so I called in sick to work. We didn't do much of anthing except enjoy our day together.Today we both had to be back at work. I guess our weekend could only last so long!

Friday, September 02, 2005

Bryan is coming home today!!! He just called and they are leaving soon to head back to Baumholder. He should be here around 1600(4pm). We've got one week together before they go back to the field again so we're really going to take advantage of it.

I'm also looking forward to the start of football season tomorrow. UGA(#13) plays Boise State(#18) in Athens at 5:30. The game will be shown on Espn so I'm doing some wishful thinking that AFN will pick up the game. In honor of the college football season....

Why Football In The South Will Always Be Different"Simply put, it's different down here - just ask former Heisman trophywinner Frank Sinwich. "I'm from Ohio," the University of Georgia legend once said, "but if I'd known what it was like down south, I would have crawled down here on myhands and knees."Football in the south is an interesting beast. It's not a game, it's not a pastime...it's a way of life. It's a mixed drink of family, religion,politics and pageantry, spiked with shots of antagonism, arrogance andpride. Critics label our view of college football as naive and tendentious. Our response? We couldn't agree more. Southerners revel in regional bias, and why shouldn't we? In the south, we transform a vast picnic area into The Grove. We see a stadium on the river and bring a Navy. We take a plain desert stone and make it magic. We have The Chop, The Chomp and The Ramblin' Wreck. We root for the same team as our dad, the same team as his dad and say "to heck" with the team of your dad's dad. We call players by their first names, anyone on the athletic staff "coach", andt o the chagrin of media pundits and those who just don't understand, we say "we".Southern football is why my grandmother spent fall Saturday's in orange capris, blue reebok classics and alligator jewelry and had a football card of Danny Wuerffel taped to her dresser. It's the same reason why my mom can't watch the fourth quarter, my dad won't watch the first quarter and my uncle and his two sons have walked around Valdosta, Georgia with a little more pep in their step since December 7th, 2002. Southern football isn't tailgating, it's all-nighting. It's not about painting your face, it's about painting your chest. It's not about grills, it's about cookers. Inside the stadium, you don't talk to your neighbors, you yell at them. Those around you aren't strangers, they're 80,000 of your closest friends. You don't go on the road when you travel to see your team play...you go home. Down here, you're not born a boy or a girl, you're born a Gamecock orTiger. Down here, football is just as entrenched in our culture as Jesus, sweet tea and barbeque sandwiches. We say "Yes Ma'm" and "NoSir", but we also say "Roll Tide", "War Eagle" and "Pig Sooey". Down here two plus two equals third down and six.Southern football is why you drive through Wrightsville, Georgia and see "The Home of Herschel Walker" on Highway 15. It's why hundreds of adults in the state of Alabama are named "Bear". Southern football is BillyCannon, Bo Jackson and Archie, Eli and Peyton Manning. It's BobbyBowden, Vince Dooley and the Ole' Ball Coach. It's detergent boxes under toilet paper, frat boys in team-colored pants - it's Lynyrd Skynyrd and Molly Hatchet in button-down shirts, Southern Living with a cowboy hat; it's a clash of styles that produces a scene often imitated but neverduplicated. Ever. The setting? So picturesque you don't want to touch it, yet so enthralling you just can't let it go. It's a similar one in Knoxville,Tennessee, Starkville, Mississippi and Blacksburg, Virginia, and it has been for years. Southern football is Erk Russell joking, "we don't cheat at GeorgiaSouthern, that costs money and we don't have any." It's John Heisman saying, "it's better to have died as a young boy than to fumble the football." It's Bobby Dodd saying he'd rather face the lions in the colesium than the Tigers in Baton Rouge. It's Clemson fans stating they would rather be on probation than lose to Furman. The players, the coaches and the rivalries are captivating here in the south. Florida-Georgia weekend causes more people to call in sick on Monday morning than the stomach flu and strept throat, Alabama-Auburn divides households, neighborhoods and the entire state, and The Egg Bowl is a true late November fixture. The storylines are just as alluring. Think "The Choke at Doak", "Lindsay Scott!!" or the 1961 Clemson-SouthCarolina game where a group of USC students inpersonated the Tiger football team in pre-game warm-ups, catering to the crowd and the band before flopping all over the field and mocking Clemson's agricultural background with milking hand-motions.Though the press tries to hype the last week in the regular season as rivalry week, every week is rivalry week in the south. Something down here makes this game different. College football has a legitimate influence on state governments, a major affect on commerce and local economies and is the lifeblood and pulse of God's country. Perhaps former Tennessee Volunteer radio personality George Mooney put it best. "Southerners are proud of their football heritage, their schools, and their teams. And they share a deep pride that goes with being from the South," he said. It's a match made, and currently outplayed, in heaven.